UCLA conducted a new study that looked at patients with claustrophobia and attempted a shortened MRA scan. They hoped to obtain the same quality of images that the current, longer MRA scan offers, reported Hospital Healthcare Europe. It is very common that individuals refuse to undergo much needed magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) tests due to claustrophobia. Researchers at UCLA set out to change the length of the scan, so patients can endure the time, but they can also receive the data they need.
Often MRA scans are used to look at blood vessels to diagnose various different diseases, such as blockages or aneurysms. During the scan, a dye, also known as a contrast agent, is injected in a patient’s veins so that the doctors are able to see clearly in the body. The patients are then funneled into a tunnel that is fairly tight, and are then expected to stay very still. Patients will put on headphones as the machines can get very loud. MRAs take up to anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour.
Because this process takes so long, there are lots of limitations. Some patients with claustrophobia are scared away from taking tests. Since the test takes a long time, there is also a limit to the number of patients that can be scanned in a day. UCLA set out to begin addressing these problems by conducting a recent study that looked at 7 patients with claustrophobia and kidney failure, ages ranging from 11 to 63. They agreed to the study knowing that they wouldn’t be in the MRA for longer than 10 minutes.
The results were positive. The MRA used ferumoxytol for the study and it only took about 6.27 minutes to complete. The scans came out high quality and allowed for every part to be analyzed. Even though these patients struggle with claustrophobia, they all endure the scans for the entire time and their images were successfully used for later diagnosis.
The UCLA team hopes to take this technology, specifically ferumoxytol, and get it approved and marketed in the US for MRAs. These researchers believe that their insight will be hugely impactful for claustrophobia patients and scanner time efficiency.
